For devotees of any musical act, a tribute band has to fulfil two demands – playing the songs accurately and playing the songs everybody wants to hear.

Nearly Dan – who pay homage to 1970s jazz-funk-blues-rockers Steely Dan – met the considerable technical challenge of playing Steely Dan’s songs with a nine-piece band who had a full 16 years of practice under their belts.

With a trumpet, saxophone and two-piece female backing vocal section, the band recreated the full sound of the original songs – crowned by some breathtaking lead guitar playing which lived up to that of Steely Dan guitarist Walter Becker.

The band’s renditions were not just carbon copies of the original recordings, however. In the spirit of Steely Dan, there was improvisation from all the musicians, while the lead singer ensured the set never became too reverential by introducing some banter in a gruff north-western accent which kept the night pleasingly unpretentious.

The set was certainly comprehensive, with more than two hours of music to make sure everyone’s favourite Steely Dan songs were covered.

After stepping up a gear in the second half, the band hit their peak right at the end with two magnificent versions of Boddhisatva and My Old School to complete an excellent performance.